SANDERLING SANDPIPER. 289 



Adult Male in winter. 



Bill rather longer than the head, slender, subcylindrical, straight, flexible, 

 compressed at the base, the point rather depressed and obtuse. Upper 

 mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight, slightly sloping to beyond the 

 middle, the ridge convex, towards the end flattened, at the point convex; 

 sides sloping, edges rather blunt and soft. Nasal groove long; nostrils basal, 

 linear, pervious. Lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow, 

 the dorsal line slightly convex, the sides sloping outwards, towards the end 

 convex. 



Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Eyes rather large. Neck of 

 moderate length. Body rather slender. Feet slender, of moderate length; 

 tibia bare a considerably way up; tarsus compressed, anteriorly and pos- 

 teriorly with numerous small scutella; hind toe wanting; toes of moderate 

 length, slender; inner toe shorter than outer, middle toe considerably 

 longer, all scutellate above and marginate, with prominent papillae, and free; 

 claws small, slightly curved, extremely compressed, blunt. 



Plumage very soft, blended beneath, slightly distinct above. Wings long 

 and pointed; primaries tapering, obtuse, the first longest, the second a little 

 shorter, the rest rapidily graduated; secondaries rather short, obliquely 

 rounded, curved inwards, the inner elongated and tapering. Tail rather 

 short, rounded, of twelve feathers, the two middle ones considerably longer. 



Bill and feet black. Iris brown. The general colour of the plumage 

 above is ash-grey, the edges paler; the lower parts pure white. Alula and 

 primaries brownish-black, the latter with more or less white on their outer 

 webs or along the shaft; secondaries white, the outer with a patch of 

 brownish-black towards the end, the inner ash-grey; primary coverts 

 brownish-black, tipped with white; secondary coverts greyish-brown, broadly 

 tipped with white. Middle tail feathers greyish-brown, their shafts white, 

 the rest of a paler tint on the outer webs, white on the inner, the lateral 

 almost pure white. 



Length to end of tail 7j-°-, to end of wings 7}-f, to end of claws 8i; extent 

 of wings 12^; wing from flexure 4^4; tail 2 T 2 2-; bill along the back 1; along 

 the edge of lower mandible 1 T ^; tarsus 1; middle toe §•, its claw yj. Weight 

 If oz. 



Adult Female in winter. 



The female is precisely similar to the male. 



In its summer plumage, this species differs in the following particulars. 

 The bill, feet, and iris, are as described above, and the lower parts are also 

 pure white, excepting the fore part and sides of the neck, which, as well as 

 the upper parts of the head, and the hind neck, are pale yellowish-red, 

 spotted with brownish-black. The back is similarly marked, the spots 



